Human Rights are fundamental rights, obligations or principles and these are inalienable to all persons, whatever their caste, class, race. Age, gender, language, nationality, religion or belief, simply because are human being. Each person entitled equally to human rights without any discrimination. Human rights considered as universal rights which includes right to life, freedom, education and economic, social and cultural rights as well.

International Human Rights Law is a part of International Law which is aimed to support & protect human rights at international, regional and domestic levels. International Human Rights Law are expressed by international treaties & agreements between states; customary international law (evidence of a general practice accepted as law); general principles and other source of international law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by United Nation in 1948, contains basic human rights of all people regardless of race, religion, place of residence or gender.

This resource guide, prepared by library staff, aims to provide information on basic learning, research and professional material on International Human Rights Law, available in the Global Library, in print as well as electronic form. It also provides links to useful free & open access web resources.

Books on International Human Rights Law at JGU Library

JGU Library holding a number of books, print as well as electronic (also included open access) on International Human Rights Law. To access updated print collection of International Human Rights Law & related subjects, please visit the JGU Library Online Catalogue or check the following sequences in the library collection:

Macdonald, John. Law of freedom of information. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009 covers Freedom of Information law in the UK, USA, Europe, and Commonwealth countries. It also introduce three different regimes which apply to public information, private information and environmental information with detailed analysis of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 1998, and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004

Yearbook of the International Law Commission (1949 onwards)full-text available freely on United Nations International Law Commission website. This is presented in two volumesVolume I of the Yearbook contains the summary records of the meetings of the Commission and volume II reproduces the principal documents, including the Commission's report to the General Assembly. Volume II is published in two parts, part two reproducing, since 1976, the annual report of the Commission to the General Assembly.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (1999-) are publications on the annual human right conditions in countries and regions outside the United States, submitted annually by the United States Department of State to the United States Congress. The reports cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Treaties, Conventions and Agreements

Treaties and conventions are primary sources and one of the important sources of international law. A treaty is the official document which expresses as agreement in words or as legislation to regulate a particular aspect of international relations, or form the constitutions of international organizations.

ICRC - Geneva Conventions introducing Geneva treaties or Conventions and their additional Protocols form the core of international humanitarian law which regulates the conduct of armed conflict and seeks to limit its effects. They protect people not taking part in hostilities and those who are no longer doing so.

LABORDOC produced by the International Labour Organization (ILO). 1965- a bibliographic database with worldwide coverage of economic policy; employment; labor legislation, policy, relations, management; rural development, and working conditions. It covers all aspects of work and sustainable livelihoods and the work-related aspects of economic and social development, human rights and technological change.

Legislationline.org is an online legislative database by Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, provides direct access to international i.e. Council of Europe, United Nations, OECD norms and standards relating to specific human dimension issues like anti-discrimination, human trafficking, gender equality & like and specific countries.

​Bilateral Treaties and Country Specific Resources

Indian Treaties Database prepared and managed by the Legal and Treaties Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, India. Treaties can be searched by specific subject, agreement type or country; or simple keywords.

Westlaw InternationalUnited Kingdom Human Rights - Treaties (UKHR-TREATIES) Text of treaties, conventions, agreements, protocols, and other instruments of the Council of Europe related to human rights, including the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950), the European Social Charter (1961), and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987). Coverage begins with November 1950.

International Criminal Court (ICC) lists all ICC cases & judgments and Legal Texts and Tools lists human rights decisions of European Court of Human Rights; Inter-American Court of Human Rights; and UN Mechanisms i.e. UN Conference on Environment and Development; UN Human Rights Council; Human Rights Committee (CCPR); Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR); Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD); Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); Committee Against Torture (CAT); Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC); Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW); and Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

ICTR/ICTY/MICT Case Law Database contains extracts of judgements and decisions rendered by the Appeals Chambers of the ICTY since 1997, of the ICTR since 2004, and of the MICT since 2012.

European judgments

HUDOC databaseof European Court of Human Rights, provides access to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (Grand Chamber, Chamber and Committee judgments, decisions, communicated cases, advisory opinions and legal summaries from the Case-Law Information Note), the European Commission of Human Rights (decisions and reports) and the Committee of Ministers (resolutions)

Reports of Judgments and Decisions of European Court of Human Rights, provides official collection of the Court's leading judgments, decisions and advisory opinions since 1998.

European Human Rights Law Review (1996-2009)- covers articles on human rights & selective human rights law cases in the UK and from Strasbourg, including summaries of cases- Print resource available in JGU Reference Library

World Courtsprovides case laws and jurisdictions of various international courts, sources of international case law and references to the website in academic articles, books, court documents and research guides.

LexisNexis Academic- International Human Rights Cases LexisNexis is a source of law in general which can be explored to locate cases in international human rights. LexisNexis has comprehensive coverage of judgments and orders of ICJ, ECHR, WTO and so on. Please follow the following steps:

Sources Directory > Browse sources > Cases

Westlaw India- International Human Rights Cases Westlaw India resource subscribed by the Library can be searched to locate cases in IHR. It covers International Court of Justice (INT-ICJ) [1947 - 2005], International Criminal Tribunal (INT-ICT) [1995 onwards], International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (INT-ICTR) [1995-2007], International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia - All (INT-ICTY-ALL) [1995 onwards], European Human Rights Law Review (EHRLR), and European Human Rights Reports (EHR-RPTS). Please follow the following steps:

Manupatra- International Human Rights CasesManupatra is a source of law in general Indian Judgments. Manupatra also has comprehensive coverage of judgements and orders of International Court of Justice from 1940 onwards and Court of Justice of the European Communities from 1974-1994.

Butterworth’s Human Right Cases (Vol. 1-Vol. 27) leading human rights decisions from international and national courts and tribunals- Print resource available in JGU Reference Library

Human rights by Countries provides access to treaties, state reports, comments, and most other documentation related to human rights

Lists all OHCHR Human Rights Bodies i.e. Charter-based bodies include the former Commission on Human Rights, the Human Rights Council, and Special Procedures and Treaty-based bodies.

Publications includes fact sheets; special issues; reference; training & education and policy & methodological materials that provides information to Governments, national institutions, civil society, the general public and the media.

Documents portal convenient source for categories of U.N. documents, including resolutions of the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, and Security Council.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)protect asylum-seekers, children, internally displaced people, older people, people with disabilities, returnees, stateless people, women and refugees and resolve their problems worldwide. UNHCR operate in some 125 countries around the world including Africa, America, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Middle East and North African countries. UNHCR provides following information source related to human rights:

RefWorld is a source of information on refugee status. It contains a vast collection of reports and information relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, and documents relating to international and national legal frameworks.

International Human Rights Treaty Bodiesby Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), there are ten human rights treaty bodies that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties.

International Labour Organization (ILO) founded in 1919 is the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946 for labour issues, particularly international labour standards. ILO promotes rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.

Council of Europe founded in 1949 as an advisory international organization which promote co-operation between European countries in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation.

Council of Europe Human Rights Portalprotect and promotes human rights through international conventions, such as the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and the Convention on Cybercrime. It includes treaties, such as the European Convention on Human Rights.

HUDOC database (European Court of Human Rights) provides access to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (Grand Chamber, Chamber and Committee judgments, decisions, communicated cases, advisory opinions and legal summaries from the Case-Law Information Note), the European Commission of Human Rights (decisions and reports) and the Committee of Ministers (resolutions).

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control and the promotion of human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections and concerned with early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation.

​Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the organization of American States to promote and protect human rights in the American hemisphere. This provides Annual Reports from 1978 onwards, American country wise reports, cases and also decision archive from 1970 onwards.

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rightsis a quasi-judicial body tasked with promoting and protecting human rights and collective (peoples') rights throughout the African continent as well as interpreting the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and considering individual complaints of violations of the Charter. It includes relevant treaties and legislation, as well as state reports, information on reservations, declarations, legal instruments, and other documents.

Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights with over 7 million members and supporters in over 150 countries and territories who campaign to end abuses of human rights. It conducts research and generates action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated. You can find human rights education resources here which includes formal, non-formal, peer education resources and training resources for professional

International Committee of the Red Cross is a humanitarian organization which protects the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance and also endeavors to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.

Asian Human Rights Commissionis an independent & non-governmental body, promoted by a prominent group of jurists and human rights activist in Asia. The main objective of this commission is to promote awareness and realization of human rights in the Asian region, and mobilize Asian and international public opinion to obtain relief and redress for the victims of human rights violations.

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is an international court, established by the European Convention on Human Rights. It hears applications alleging that a contracting state has breached one or more of the human rights provisions concerning civil and political rights set out in the Convention and its protocols. An application can be lodged by an individual, a group of individuals or one or more of the other contracting states, and, besides judgments, the Court can also issue advisory opinions.

The African Court on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) is a continental court established by African countries to ensure protection of human and peoples’ rights in Africa. It complements and reinforces the functions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

African Human Rights Law Reports (2000-2011) contains selected domestic decisions from the whole continent, as well as the decisions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the United Nations treaty bodies, dealing with African countries.

African Human Rights Law Journal (2001 onwards) is a peer-reviewed open access journal on human rights in Africa. This includes articles on the work of African regional and sub-regional human rights bodies as well as the work of international bodies related to Africa.

International Court of Justice (ICJ) (accessed March 10, 2015) lists all ICJ cases & judgments since 1946, along with ICJ publications (1946 onwards) including Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders; Acts and Documents; Yearbook; and Bibliography. Beside 1946 onwards publications, there is a collection of Permanent Court of International Justice (1922-1946) publications consisting decisions from 1922 to 1940; judgments and Advisory Opinions given by the Court until 1930; Pleadings, Oral Arguments, Documents from 1931; Court’s Yearbooks from 1922-1946; and Court’s publications catalogues.

International Criminal Court (ICC)(accessed May 22, 2014) governed by the Rome Statute, established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.

Legal Texts and Tools provides the text of the Rome Statute, Rules of Procedure and Evidence, Elements of Crimes, Regulations of the Court, Office of the Prosecutor, and Registry; Code of Professional Conduct for counsel and Judicial Ethics; Staff rules of the International Criminal Court; Staff Regulations; Financial Regulations and Rules; Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal Court; Agreement between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations and other legal instruments of the Court.

Official Bodies on Human Rights - by Country

The following list provides links to the national human rights institution, commissions and committees around the world, dedicated to the promotion, protection and monitoring of human rights.

Important Series of Reports on International Human Rights (institutions)

Publications of Human Rights Watch publishes reports on many different topics and compiles an annual World Report presenting an overview of the worldwide state of human rights. Human Rights Watch has reported extensively on subjects such as the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 and the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Global Policy Forum (GPF) promote accountability of international organizations decisions like United Nations, monitor policy making at UN, strengthen international law & vital issues of international peace and justice.

War Crimes Research Portal contains 1) over a thousand links to websites related to international humanitarian law, 2) text of over 120 research memoranda on issues pending before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the International Criminal Court, 3) "instant analysis" articles, written each month by the members of the American Branch of the International Association of Penal Law, and 4) Research Guide to international humanitarian law and tribunals.

Your Legal Rights – Human Rights provides free legal information for people in Ontario like Q&A to legal problems, legal education training webinars, current news & events and many more.. on various topics like charter rights, discrimination, international human rights.

Universal Human Rights Index this database maintained by OHCHR. It provides easy access to country-specific human rights information emanating from international human rights mechanisms in the United Nations system: the Treaty Bodies, the Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and allows the user to find out about human rights issues worldwide, and to see how the legal interpretation of international human rights law has evolved over the past ten years.

United Nations in cooperation with HeinOnline, provide a collection of scholarly writings to promote a better understanding of international law around the world, particularly in developing countries. Following course material is available on Human rights:

Audiovisual Historical archive of Human RightsUnited Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law provides audiovisual historical collection on Human Rights like Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948; International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1965; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966; Convention on the Rights of the Child (with protocols), 1989 and so on.

Virtual Communities: Blogs, Forums, Social Networking Groups etc.

Blogs & Forums

Invisible College Blog is the official weblog of the Netherlands School of Human Rights Research which provides opportunity to report, share and exchange thoughts on current developments through open dialogue.

National Human Rights Institutions Forum is an international forum for researchers and practitioners in the field of national human rights institutions and an information platform for the National Human Rights Institutions around the world.

International Human Rights Law Clinic designs and implements innovative human rights projects to advance the struggle for justice on behalf of individuals and marginalized communities through advocacy, research, and policy development.

YouTube

Amnesty International campaign for universal human rights from more than 150 countries. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

Human Rightsare moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behaviour, and are regularly protected as legal rights in national and international law. This channel was generated automatically by YouTube's video discovery system.

NYU’s GlobaLex: International Human Rights Research Guide an electronic legal publication by New York University School of Law contains EU’s and UN’s different charters and major treaty bodies, various human rights documents listed by subject matter, a listing of various international law journals, and a list of various UN websites.

Yale University, Cambodian Genocide Program (1994-2015) the Cambodian genocide, a serious crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979 in which approximately 1.7 million people lost their lives (21% of the country's population), was one of the worst human tragedies of the last century. Cambodian Genocide Program, a project of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University's has been studying these events to learn as much as possible about the tragedy, and to help determine who was responsible for the crimes of the Pol Pot regime.